Daddy Issues and Tampering with Time

Action Comics #962, 984, 989, 991-997 (October 2016 to April 2018)

#962: "Path of Doom: Conclusion" Writer: Dan Jurgens, Penciller: Stephen Segovia, Inker: Art Thibert, Letterer: Rob Leigh, Colorist: Ulises Arreola.

Lois and her son Jon are safely sequestered on the Watchtower with Wonder Woman while Superman struggles to contain Doomsday. During the battle, Superman lures Doomsday to a fortress similar to the Kryptonian one, but is hard pressed to defeat his foe until Wonder Woman intervenes. Together, they succeed in sending Doomsday to the Phantom Zone.

Part of Rebirth, this comic includes multiple supermen: Clark Kent out of costume, the Superman with Lois and their son Jon, and a super Lex Luthor. There's also a cloaked scythe-wielding stranger who somehow "intercepted the projection" and captured Doomsday en route to the Phantom Zone.

The issue includes ads for Snickers (Woman Woman is as cranky as Doomsday when she gets hungry!), Midtown Comics, DCBS, action figures, and NC Comicon. There are also several house ads: Doom Patrol, Shade the Changing Girl, Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye, Mother Panic, Blue Beetle, Teen Titans, and Cyborg, as well as a checklist of comics on sale Sept. 7-28, 2016.

Brave Cavemen and Circus Clowns

World's Finest Comics #138 (DC, December 1963, 12 cents)
World's Finest wasn't always a Superman-Batman team up book, but at this stage in its history, it was—but hadn't yet turned into primarily a Superman book. As represented by the cover alone, this issue is pretty goofy. The cover, drawn by Dick Dillin and inked by Sheldon Moldoff, shows Batman, Robin, and Superman, bearded, clothing torn, and bearing caveman weapons, as frog-like aliens train zap guns on them.

"The Secret of the Captive Cavemen" Script: Bill Finger, Art: Jim Mooney. (15 pages)
An alien being discovers that its Z-beam doesn't work on Earthlings, so it goes to the public library to learn why. "The modern Earthling is not affected, so you must go into the past!" The heroes use the time-machine of their friend Professor Nichols after alerting Superman. "50,000 years in the past," Batman and Robin encounter a woolly rhinoceros before befriending some brave cavemen after Superman's arrival.



To trick the aliens, the superheroes tear their costumes and glue hairs cut from animal hides to their faces so they look more caveman-like. The aliens' Z-beam "robs the mind of will power" when used against cavemen, so the heroes act like they're under the aliens' control. They learn that the cavemen are being forced to mine drakkium from a quarry as slaves because unrefined drakkium is deadly to the aliens. The aliens also plan to take over the modern-day Earth by bombarding it with refined drakkium, which is harmful to humans. The aliens do not succeed.

"Little Pete" Written and drawn: Henry Boltinoff. (One-half page)
Pete hits a home run and breaks up the ball game because he broke Mrs. Brown's window.

"The Secret Face of Funny-Arrow" Script: Ed Herron, Art: Lee Elias. (10 pages)
The Green Arrow goes up against a criminal who either is or is not Funny-Arrow, a performing circus clown. Of the two stories in this issue, this is the more interesting, and Elias's artwork is excellent. Funny-Arrow's presence at the scenes of crimes is suspicious, and the character is just comic enough to not be obviously criminal.



"Peter Puptent" Written and drawn: Henry Boltinoff. (One page)
The explorer meets a business man while on safari.

The issue also includes a one-page text piece, "Build Your Own Universe," which focuses on astronomy-related models and hobbies.

Availability: The Superman, Batman and Robin story has been collected in Showcase Presents World's Finest Vol. 2. The Green Arrow piece was collected in Showcase Presents: Green Arrow, Vol. 1.

An Imaginary Story

Action Comics #391 (DC, August 1970, 15 cents)
"The Punishment of Superman's Son" Script: Robert Kanigher, Pencils: Ross Andru, Inks: Mike Esposito. (15 pages)

I haven't read and don't really get the appeal of the idea behind the Super Sons, but they've returned. This older issue of Action Comics, featuring a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, tells an imaginary story about the Super Sons in which Superman's son is overshadowed time and time again by Batman's son. "How can I think about wigs when I see Batman's son, everywhere I turn—doing the things our son should do!"



Superman, Jr., accidentally destroys a Flowering Fugue, the rarest plant in the universe, after his father collects it from a distant planet for the Metropolis Music Festival of Rare Instruments. He also races Batman, Jr., while Batman teases Superman—and Superman, Jr., decides not to help Batman, Jr., apprehend a gang because he mistook fake Kryptonite for real Kryptonite. (Wouldn't you be able to feel whether it was real Kryptonite?)

In the Fortress of Solitude, Superman, Jr., destroys a helper robot, accidentally freeing several dangerous beasts. At the end of the story, Superman is about to "destroy your superpowers forever" using some gold Kryptonite. Whatever, dude; it's an imaginary story. Who the heck cares?



Were you to determine your reading list based on the books on Superman's shelves on the first page, however, you'd be pretty well read. Text lettered on the spines of the books includes Art, Modern Art, Plato, Spinoza, Socrates, Space, Engels, Reid, Bacon, Ross, Ayer, Aquinas, Broad, James, Scotus, Zeno, Russell, Santayana, Spencer, Sartre, Einstein, and Taylor.

"The Ordeal of Element Lad" Script: Robert Kanigher, Pencils: Ross Andru. Inks: Mike Esposito. (10 pages)
In this tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Saturn Girl gets a job assisting Wandar, chief assistant for President Peralla on the planet Lahum—a cover to "get info on the mysterious chemical humanoids used by the dictator, Peralla." Meanwhile, Element Lad, Timber Wolf, Karate Kid, and Brainiac 5 confer with a rebel leader.



Chameleon Boy, disguised as a rebel lieutenant, determines that "his" girlfriend likes another rebel. "The revolution comes first, sweets!" The humanoids attack, but Brainiac has figured out the humanoids' formula, allowing Element Lad to make short work of the attackers. The rebel leader, however, is overly greedy. Pp. 6-7—especially the first panel on the latter page—are fun visually. The issue also includes a one-page letter column, "Metropolis Mailbag" including a letter from Martin Pasko.

Availability: DC has published at least two volumes of imaginary stories. The Legion of Super-Heroes story was collected in Showcase Presents: The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 and Legion of Super-Heroes - Archives, Volume 9.

The Worst of Human Nature

Action Comics #985-987 (DC, October-November 2017, $2.99-$3.99)
DC's issue numbers, just like Marvel's, have all gone to heck with the recent rash of reboots and renumbering (New 52, Rebirth, etc.). Not long ago, however, select titles—including Action Comics—have returned to their original numbering as they approach #1000. Personally, I think that's a good thing. Regardless of whether a publisher frequently reboots or renumbers, I encourage all publishers to keep track of and make explicit the ongoing whole number of a title. Or, be more honest about volume numbers and keep that apace with the reboots. Keeping track of titles based on year of reboot is confusing and unnecessary.

Written by Rob Williams (#985-986) and Dan Jurgens (#987) and drawn by Guillem March (#985-986) and Viktor Bogdanovic (#987), these three issues include parts of two story arcs: "Only Human" and "The Oz Effect." In "Only Human," around the world, people and animals are being controlled by the Machinist using technology appropriated from Lexcorp. The militarized elephants and tigers are a fun concept, as is the combat between a power-suited (Apokoliptan tech!) Lex Luther—under the thrall of the Machinist—and Supes.



#987, then, with its unnecessary lenticular cover—can we please stop with the lenticular covers?—apparently draws to a head an ongoing plot thread that I'm just now exposed to: Mr. Oz. Having missed the teasers and build up, I don't want to give too much away, so suffice to say that Mr. Oz is a mysterious costumed figure wielding a scythe of sorts who seems intent on drawing out the worst of human nature in an attempt to persuade Superman that the human race isn't worth protecting. This issue reveals who Mr. Oz actually is, and if you read any of the comics leading up to this, you might be shocked or surprised. Personally, I'm confused and intrigued, so I look forward to next issue's secret origin.

It's quite fun to see Hallie Bulleit, Bill Florio, Mikey Erg, and other members of the house band for The Chris Gethard Show in ads for the TruTV series. The faux vintage covers featuring Harley Quinn to celebrate 25 years of that character is nice work by Ryan Sook. But a crossover series featuring Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy meeting Archie Comics's Betty and Veronica? Whoah.

Availability: Action Comics #985, 986, and 987 have yet to be collected. (You can buy them online or as back issues, however.) Mr. Oz's appearance in DC Universe: Rebirth #1 has been collected in Rebirth Omnibus, Vol. 1.